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(No Model.) B RING-0 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

FOLDING BBD. 110.459,819. Patented Sept. 22,1891.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. BINGO.

. FQLDING BBD.

Patented Sept. 22

UNITED STATES -PATENT OFFICE.

BIRT RINGO, OF MEXICO, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO C. VADE AND J. O. BUOKNER,OF .SAME PLACE.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 459,819, datedSeptember 22, 1891.

Application filed May 14, 1891.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, BIRT BINGO, a citizen of the United States, residingat Mexico, in the county of Audrain and State of Missouri, have inventeda new and useful Folding Bed, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding beds; and the objects of the inventionare to provide a cheap and simple construction of bed that may bereadily raised to a folded or lowered to an unfolded position with butlittle exertion upon the part of the operator, which in either positionwill be automatically locked against accidental displacement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring tothe drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a bed, the samebeing open. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal section of thebed, the same being closed or folded. Fig. 3 is a detail of thecam-shaped friction support. Fig. 4 is a detail of the connectionbetween the casing and the side railof the bed. Fig. 5 is a detail Viewof the spring-adjusting means and connections.

.Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures ofthe drawings.

1 designates the opposite side walls of the casing usually employed inthis class of folding beds, which are mounted upon the base or bottom 2of the casing. These side walls or standards are connected at their rearby.

the head-board 3, and at their front by the cross-piece 4.

5 designates the bed-bottom, which becomes the front face of the casingwhen the bed is folded, and will be suitably decorated or ornamented.

6 designates the foot-board, and the same, as usual, connects theopposite side pieces 7, which latter are connected at the head of thebed by means of the transverse bar 8. The rear corners of the frame orbedstead are provided with rearwardly-disposed stop-bars 9, which aredesigned to come into contact with stop-blocks 10, located upon thevinner faces of the standards or side pieces 1 of the casing. The sideWalls of the casing near their lower ends are each provided with curvedslots 11, which slots are metal-lined, as shown, and re- Serial No.392,730. (No model.)

ceive outwardly-disposed pins 12, extending from the side rails of thebed-frame, said pins being provided With friction-rollers and areadapted to ride in the slots. Similar but oppositely-disposed slots 13are formed in the side rails of the bedfra1ne,said slots beingconcentric with the pins 12 and receiving pins 14, extending from theside Walls of the casing. The pins 14 are provided withfriction-rollers, and the slots 13 are metal-lined.

ln operation, taking the bed in a folded position, the first half of thedownward-swinging movement of thebed-frarneis uponthepins 12 asbearings, the pins 14 riding in the slots 13. The bedstead is thusbrought to an angle of about forty-iive degrees. The remaining downwardmovement of the bed-frame is upon the pins 14, which have now arrived atthe upper ends of the slots 13, and the pins 12 ride to the upper endsof the slots 11. It will be obvious at once that such a construction ofpivotal connection will be both strong and durable, as well as noiselessand cheap.

Upon the base 2 of the casing and at the center thereof there is locatedan elliptical spring 16. This spring is preferably of the form commonlyused in vehicles, and is of proper tensile strength. To the upper sideof the spring is bolted, as at 17, a transverse bolster 1S, in theopposite ends of which are located the depending U-shaped stirrups 19,the terminals of which are passed upwardly through suitable perforationsformed in the ends of the bolster and above said bolster provided Withadj Listing-nuts 20.

21 designates an inclined bar, and I employ a pair of the same. Thesebars are hinged at their lower ends, as at 22, to the front edge of thebase 2 and have their upper or rear ends loosely supported in thestirrups 19. By means of the nuts it will be obvious that the rear endsof the bars may be raised and lowered, so that their normal inclinationsmay be varied and adj usted. Upon each bar 21 is mounted a toothed metalcam-track 23, whichtrack consists of the rear u pwardly-inclined surface25, the saine leading to a central depression 26, and at the front endin an inclined shoulder 27. To the rear edge of the bed-frame oppositeeach of the cam-tracks is located a bracket 28, and in each of thebrackets there is loosely mounted a periph- IOO erally-toothcd roller29, said rollers being designed to embrace and ride upon the camtracksThis completes the construction of the bed, with the exception of theusual supporting-leg 30.

In operation, inorder to unfold the bed it is simply necessary to drawthe upper end of the same downwardly, so that the loose rollers ridedown the inclined face 27, and hytheinclination of said face the bed ispermitted to fall by gravity until the rollers reach the centraldepression in the cam-tracks and move up the inclined faces 25. Themomentum which the bedstead generates While the rollers are moving downthe inclined faces 27, in connection with the gravity of the bedstead,serves to continue the movement, the rollers passing up the inclinedfaces 25, which, by reason of their inclination and the force of thespring, serve as brakes and thus lower the free end of the bed genlly tothe floor. To return the bed, the free end of the bedstead should beelevated sufficiently to start the rollers down the inclined faces 25,and the force of the spring serves to overcome the weight of the bed,which is thus elevated Within the casing.

From the above it will be seen that I have improved the manner ofpivotally connecting the bedframe and casing, and that I haveconstructed a bed which may be lowered to an open or unfolded positionor raised and closed to a folded position with but very slight effortupon the part ot the operator, the entire operation being accomplishedsmoothly and noiselessly.

I'laving described my invention, what I claim is A l. In a folding bed,the combination, with the casing and the bed-frame pivoted at its rearends to the side Walls of the casing, of opposite toothed rollerslocated in brackets at the lower edge of the rear Wall of the bedframe,a bow-spring centrally located upon the bottom of the casing, a bolstermounted on the bow-spring, stirrups located in the ends of the bolster,inclined bars having their lower ends hinged to the base of the casingand their upper ends loosely mounted in the stirrups, and toothedcam-tracks for the reception of the rollers, mounted on the inclinedbars and provided with the inclined faces 25 at the rear ends of thebars, substantially as speciied.

2. In a folding bed, the combination, with the casing and the bed-framepivoted at its rear end to the side Walls thereof, of opposite rollerslocated in brackets at the lower edge ot' the rear Wall of thebed-frame, a bow-spring centrally located upon the bottom ol the casing,a bolster mounted on the spring and provided with opposite perforationsat its ends, U-shaped stirrups having their terminals passed through theperforations, adjustingnuts thereon, the inclined bars having theirlower ends hinged to the base of the casing and their upper ends looselysupported by the stirrups, and the cam-track mounted upon the bars,adapted to receive the rollers and provided with the rear inclined face25 and the inclined shoulder 27, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two Witnesses.

BIRT' BINGO. lVitnesses:

J. C. BUCKNER, J. T. NELSON.

